[Avodah] G-d changes his mind

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 07:17:12PM +0200, Eli Turkel wrote:
: What does the phrase (bereshit 6:6) mean?
: va-yenachem hashem ki asah et ha-adam ba-aretz va-yityazev el libo.
: 
: Remebr G-d's knowing the future is not like a person's knowing the future.
: So was the mabul predestined?

The whole question doesn't work. Hashem has no future, which is why He
doesn't know the future the way we would if we could, nor does the
concept of "PREdestination" really fit. Time is a nivra.

Odds are the word "vayiNACHeim" is part of the general play on Noach's
name across the parashah, such as "vatanach hateivah" (8:4), "lo matz'ah
hayyonah manoach" (8:9).

In any case, Rashi seems to be saying that Hashem changed tactic in
consequence to the change in people.

(Or, IOW: G-d's unchanging Way had very different effects given the
difference in humanity.)

: Also was mankind after the flood better than before?

Well, at least chamas wasn't our particular challenge.

...
: He goes so far as to say that Abraham was wrong for not arguing with G-d
: at the Akedah.
: His sources are Alan Dershowitz and Shulamit Aloni !!

But he did argue for Sodom, Amorah, et al. It would seem that he, like
Moshe, only argued with HQBH on behalf of others, when he wasn't one of
those suffering.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             It's nice to be smart,
micha at aishdas.org        but it's smarter to be nice.
http://www.aishdas.org                   - R' Lazer Brody
Fax: (270) 514-1507